8.0. PRSR 09-10-1997 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

PLANNING REGION 5 Planning Region 5 includes all or part of Big Lake and Becker Townships and the cities Ipof Big Lake and Becker. U.S. Highway 10 runs through the region with the Mississippi River to the south and the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge and the Sand Dunes State Forest to the north. This region is the most diverse in land use due to the many acres of agricultural lands generally located to the south of Highway 10, the heavily developed Mississippi River corridor and smaller rivers, large areas that are zoned as general rural district, and the municipalities of Big Lake and Becker that are experiencing fast paced residential growth. Rivers and Streams The Mississippi River is heavily developed with residential land use within this region. Although land preservation opportunities are limited, there are still areas that the county should consider as designated public areas along the Mississippi. Northern States Power owns a large amount of natural land which may be available for future park or preservation areas. NSP has worked with the City of Becker and Becker Township in the recent development of Snuffy's Landing. The State of Minnesota owns land adjacent to the Mississippi as well as a large island *across from it that is part of the Mississippi Islands Scientific Natural Area. The county should further investigate what plans the DNR may have for this 38 acre parcel and attempt to determine if the county and state could work together to provide public access to this preserved area. The Elk River has limited potential for preserved land areas for parks and open space due to the amount of residential development. The establishment of additional access points would allow citizens to take advantage of this public resource. Cox Property It is possible that the first park property in the future system owned by the county will be the Cox property. This land has high conservation importance due to the native plant communities and natural features found on the site. • SHERBURNE COUNTY PARKS, TRAILS & OPEN SPACE PLAN 19